


Tangled Threads

by Lady_Mischievous



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Future Fic, Gen, Post Series, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-13
Updated: 2013-01-13
Packaged: 2017-11-25 07:31:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/636563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Mischievous/pseuds/Lady_Mischievous
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The past and future are set on a collision course when a mysterious enemy sets out to change history and the future.</p><p>7 Years in the future: Sternbild New York, 1985, the city is a darker place than it used to be, the question of rights of NEXT and non-NEXT and an uncertain future looms over its people, all the while, prejudice bares its teeth on both sides of the argument. For some, lives have been forced to change, others are just trying to live their lives, and there are those that are still trying to stand up for causes they believe in.</p><p>Teaser - Posted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tangled Threads

-Sternbild, New York, July 15, 1985-

"I'm home!" called a voice from the door of the apartment. The owner of it was a young girl, about seventeen, with long brown hair that was tied back for her skating practice. 

"How was practice?" a voice called from the living room. 

"It's going pretty good; they're being tough on us right now because of the competition that's coming up. You and Dad are going, aren't you, Uncle Tonio?" Kaede said while she set her gym bag on the floor and headed for the kitchen to get something to eat, skating practice had left her hungry. 

Antonio Lopez was sitting on the couch of their living room going over some paper work while the television played in the background. He was obviously a little older, but still kept himself in good shape, his hair was longer and tied back, and of course he still had a taste for low cut shirts that let his chest hair peek out. "Yep, we made sure our schedules were clear so we could."

"Okay, I'm holding you both to your word on that." Kaede said while she searched the fridge. "Oh! Is the show on yet?" 

"No, not just yet." Antonio called back as he took a moment to look up from some papers to look up at the clock above the TV. "Should be on in about five minutes..."

Kaede hurried in making herself a sandwich and grabbing a can of soda, she then hurried into the living room, hopped over the back of the couch and landed next to Antonio.

Antonio jumped with surprise. "Easy there, you're going to break something if you're not careful." 

"Quiet Uncle Toni, Dad's going to be on the news." Kaede said as she hushed him. 

Antonio couldn't help but smile a little at her being excited. Being on the news was a growing occurrence, but it was still exciting. Much like how it was when they were a part of HeroTV, but instead of their hero personas, they were being seen as themselves. It was surreal in a way just how much things had changed over the years.

"Oh it's starting!" Kaede said excitedly as she pointed to the TV.

"This is the O'Malley hour!" the TV announced as graphics and past footage of the show played for the intro. 

"Good evening, this is James O'Malley and this is the O'Malley hour. Tonight, is a special program focusing on the riots and violence against and committed by activists on both sides of an argument that has been growing for the past few decades. NEXTs and equal rights..."

Kaede watched intently as the show showed footage of protestors and riots. "That's from the event you two were at that happened last week, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, we were supposed to give speeches there, but it was shut down before we could." Antonio said as he thought back on the incident. What he left out was the fact that someone nearly shot her father.

"Let's introduce our guests today. We have two real opposites on the political spectrum, the renowned Professor Alexander Brom, from Sternbild University, writer of one of the Sternbild Times Best Sellers, "NEXTs: Evolution Or Challenger To The Human Race"."

"Nice to be here on your little show again James." Alexander said with a smile. 

James then continued on with his other guest. "And we have a former hero of HeroTV and Sternbild, and is now the owner of radio station "W.R. Radio" and a political commentator, Kotetsu T. Kaburagi. Thank you both for coming onto our show." 

"Thanks for having me." Kotetsu said as he shook the man's hand. He looked good, time was good to him, though he seemed a little tired, he still kept his signature "cat beard", as fans liked to call it, and his hair was shorter and tamer. If one were to look closely they could find a little grey hair, the most noticeable being two streaks that started at his sideburns and went back to a little past his ears. Whether they really came from age or stress was unknown. His dress style changed very little, it was still classy, keeping a little of a vintage feel, but it was also a little more casual. 

James then went on to begin the segment. "So let us begin. Now the idea of "NEXT rights" has been a pretty hot debate for the past few years. Kotetsu, you were a hero that fought criminals against both with NEXT abilities and without, you know the dangers of people misusing their powers can really be a threat to citizens."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that they should be given lesser rights." Kotetsu pointed out. "I think that there is a way to take special measures to protect both NEXT and non-NEXT, we have to keep in mind that both are human and we both have to share this world that we live in."

"That just goes to show the ignorance of people like you, and why people like really should have no say in politics." Alexander spoke up. "The fact is that NEXTs have enough rights, possibly more than they really should have. They are allowed in our schools, in our jobs, and most facets of regular life."

"Hey, hold it right there, pal." Kotetsu suddenly interrupted. "I'm sorry, but the way that you make it sound it's as if people that are NEXT are second class citizens, NEXT are human just like everyone else."

"Mr. Kaburagi, NEXT are mutations of regular humans, they are dangerous and must be supervised at all times to keep the regular populace safe." Alexander lectured, the tone in his voice made it seem like he was talking to some naive student in one of his classes. 

"NEXT are just as human as non-NEXTs, both deserve to be treated as such!" Kotetsu insisted, not impressed by the man's condescending tone.

"Some in science may disagree with you on that." Alexander added, trying to keep his cool. He didn't care for being interrupted by people; he wouldn't take it from any of the students in his classes. However this was public television, and he had an image he had to keep up; but this man was already proving to be irritating. Alexander couldn't be sure if it was out of sheer ignorance or if he was doing it on purpose just to aggravate him.

"To hell with that, scientists once thought the world was flat!" Kotetsu declared. "Like hell I'm going to have someone else decide whether I'm human or not just because they have a white coat and "doctor" before their name." 

"For starters that is an old wives tale, you uneducated lummox!" Alexander nearly shouted. "Secondly, you can deny science all you want, but the truth of the matter is that NEXTs are a danger to society and with their growth numbers to the human race as a whole!"

James suddenly cut into their heated conversation. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, let's try to keep this civil; we are considered a family program after all."

"I'm sorry." Kotetsu said sheepishly. 

"Wow, they're really going at it..." Kaede mused as she watched her father and the professor argue.

"Yeah, let's hope he doesn't get himself kicked off though, the last thing he needs is bad press right now." Antonio said with a sigh as he watched. He was glad to see James calm them down by intervening again before things started to get ugly. "The company is doing well so far, but if we're not careful we could end up losing the trust of the people. Some of these people are trying to bait us with "gotcha moments" to make it look like they were right about us and the company." 

"So their trying to make Dad look like an idiot..." Kaede said with a frown.

"Pretty much, but he's gotten a lot better at restraining himself." Antonio added. "Debates are kind of like verbal boxing matches. So in a sense, your Dad has had to relearn how to fight, but I guess the same kind of instincts would still be involved, so he's getting the hang of it."

"That's good, I'm sure he's going to be okay." Kaede said with a smile.

It was then that James brought up a question that made both Kaede and Antonio cringe. "Mr. Kaburagi, is it true that you are looking to further your way into politics?" 

Kotetsu blinked, he didn't quite expect that question to pop up with the subject that they were talking about. "Ah, no, I'm perfectly happy right where I am. I am a commentator and a business owner, nothing more."

"Yes, I got that, but some people are saying that makes you a hypocrite." The newsman added. "They say that with the all talk and activism that you and your company have been doing for the rights of NEXT and non-NEXTs that you should just take the plunge and try to change things from inside the system."

Kotetsu was getting a little aggravated now, he hated it when people kept repeating this question, and he'd been getting them so often lately. Kotetsu gave people a straight forward answer, "no" end of story, but some people just didn't want to accept that. "I don't really see the need for me to go into politics as a politician; I'd be no good at it. I don't like playing politics even in the media business. There are a lot of people that are more suited for it than I am."

"For once, I actually agree with you, Mr. Kaburagi." Alexander interjected. "A man like you has no place in politics, you are naive, short tempered, and you have little common sense when it comes to understanding what is for the greater good."

Kotetsu was visibly holding back a remark, he'd let it slide, maybe if he'd keep quiet he could finally let this question die like it should. It was then that he noticed his own heart beat; he could hear it beat a little too fast for comfort, Kotetsu didn't realize that he was getting so worked up. He folded his hands together and rested them on the news desk, willing himself to calm down.

The rest of the segment played out without much incident, by the next commercial break Kotetsu and Alexander were allowed to leave the studio. Kotetsu thanked James again for having him and then hurried out as quickly as he could while trying to avoid raising suspicion that something was wrong. He stepped out into a hallway and found a place to rest. There was a large window with a good view of Sternbild, Kotetsu stared out at the distant buildings and statues, letting his mind start to wander as he dug into his jacket pocket and took out a bottle of medication.

His "condition" was getting harder to hide, he could still feel his heart thudding in his chest, Kotetsu popped two of the pills into his mouth and swallowed them down. He sighed as he waited for them to take effect, he could hear the pounding of his heart in his ears. Five minutes passed, then ten, his heart rate started to slow down and go into a more normal and steady pace.

He remembered what the doctor had told him during one of his checkups in the recent years.

_"You're lucky to be alive right now, given what happened to you; with the technology that we have in place you could live for quite a while longer." the doctor explained as reassuringly as he could._

_Kotetsu was seated in a chair looking at an x-ray that the doctor was using to help explain the situation. While the doctor tried to come off as confident, something in Kotetsu's gut told him something was wrong. "There's more to it though, isn't there?"_

_"Yes, I'm afraid that even with what we've done to save you, you're still at risk. Technology is still not a perfect replacement for Mother Nature's designs." The doctor said with a sigh. "While a heart transplant would be the best, I doubt that a normal heart would last long for you. Your body has had years of time to endure and adapt to handle your "hundred power" ability. Given the danger that your profession seems to attract, I doubt that simply not using your power is a real option."_

_Kotetsu was silent for a while, not sure just what to say._

_The doctor sighed; he wasn't going to beat around the bush with this man. "Look, from what I've seen you've been getting into another career aside from being a hero. Stick with that and quit the hero business, that's honestly the best advice that I can give you. While your heart probably can handle bits of hundred power at a time, using it too often or for too long will probably end up giving you a heart attack or worse."_

Kotetsu sighed, that was four years ago, for the most part Kotetsu had left the hero business. He had been going back to school at the time, well before the incident happened, after a few too many arguments with Muramasa had forced Kotetsu to rethink some things in his life. It was a tough start, but thanks to Karina and Ivan and a little cheering on from Kaede, Kotetsu stuck to it and found something that he liked doing and was actually pretty good at. Little did Kotetsu know that it was going to lead into a career that was possibly just as stressful as the hero business.

Suddenly Kotetsu heard his phone start to ring, Kotetsu reached into his pocket and took out his phone to answer. "Hello?"

"Hey Dad, we just saw you on the TV!"

Kotetsu smiled; glad to hear Kaede's voice, he chatted on the phone with her while he made his way down the hallway and towards an elevator.

-End of Teaser-

**Author's Note:**

> As this stands this is currently a teaser to a bigger story that I've wanted to do for a while. I could use some opinions on this if you have any to share. Thank you for reading, I hope that you enjoyed.


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